


I Dream of Aubergine

by MezaseRHYTHM



Category: Super Smash Bros - Fandom
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friendship/Love, Mood Swings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-02-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:33:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22904035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MezaseRHYTHM/pseuds/MezaseRHYTHM
Summary: Everyone is here, but not everyone can be happy.With Ultimate destined to be a smash hit, every fighter has been training diligently days on end. But, with some new rules in place, the inseparable Popo and Nana have been forced to live in separate dorms. A Smash Ultimate fanfic focusing on the Ice Climbers.
Relationships: Nana & Popo (Ice Climber), Nana/Popo (Ice Climber)
Kudos: 8





	I Dream of Aubergine

**Author's Note:**

> Fristly, this is the first fanfiction I have ever attempted to write. 
> 
> I have never considered myself a good writer but now that I am literally an English teacher (albeit ESL), I thought I’d give fanfic-writing a shot. 
> 
> I am an avid Icies main in SSBU, but what really bummed me out is how they have barely any lore. But hey, I took that to my advantage and wrote this fic to fill that void. So be mindful that their personalities don’t reflect any canon. 
> 
> Lastly, the Ice Climbers are NOT siblings in this fic, nor are they children. I think the best way to describe them is soulmates. Their relationship will be entirely platonic. 
> 
> Anyways, please enjoy the story!

Prologue 

It was about eight in the evening on a cold January’s day after the sun had long been set. High in a frosty mountain, a blizzard swept past a lone log cabin. There, a young man wearing a deep blue parka caught a few specs of ice on his face as he collected the mail. Treading through snow at least half a metre deep, he gripped onto a single letter, almost too tightly to ensure he didn’t lose it in the strong winds. 

But it wasn’t like some old snowstorm was unfamiliar to him. This young man was Popo of Ice Climber, and his inseparable partner, Nana, was resting inside the cabin which they called home. 

It has been a month and a bit since the Ice Climbers completed their recent expedition. They had tackled a glacier, scaled a mountain to the summit, but they were home now, avoiding the worst of the weather. 

Now inside, Popo hurriedly shut the door to the cabin behind him. He sighed while dusting frost off his coat’s sleeves. “Geez, that snowstorm could really take a chill pill!” He eyed his partner in the middle of the room.

“Uh, tell me about it! So, any mail today?” Nana asked in high spirits. She was sitting at their small, round dining table sipping a mug of hot chocolate. Every evening since they’d returned, Popo had made hot chocolate and cookies for supper after Nana prepared a warm meal for dinner, usually vegetable soup. The duo loved life as it was. 

Popo swung his blue parka onto the uppermost hook of the hat stand, where Nana’s pink one hang neatly underneath. He waved the small white envelope. “Just one today, but…” Popo huffed. 

He took a few steps toward the table and held the envelope with both outstretched arms. Carefully Nana set her mug onto the table, leaned forward and squinted her eyes. The moment she made out the iconic Smash symbol on the red seal, her heart skipped a beat. 

“That’s…” she trembled 

“Yeah, what do y’know?” Popo dropped the envelope onto the table and took a seat beside Nana. “Smash Bros.” 

Those two words had not been spoken among the Ice Climbers for over three years. Indeed, they had received their Smash 4 invitation, and had arrived at the Smash Mansion along with the Smash 4 cast. However, about a month into development, they were humbly told to leave. The reason given was ‘technical difficulties’, but neither of the Ice Climbers fully bought it. Both suspected there was a certain _other_ reason. 

With their eyes fixated on the envelope, Popo silently opened the seal, and unfolded the letter inside. Frankly, Nana did not want to know the contents of the letter. She had butterflies in her stomach, and Popo knew it too. 

“Dear Popo and Nana of Ice Climber,” he read. 

“We are pleased to inform you that you have been chosen to return to our upcoming instalment in the Smash Brothers series: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The theme we have decided on is 'Everyone is Here' – yes, that indeed does mean that every Smash veteran is invited to take part in Ultimate.”

“Everyone is here, huh?” Neither he nor Nana had made any serious enemies among the other brawlers, so this concept didn’t trouble either of them that much. 

“We have prepared a new venue equipped with upgraded facilities” he continued. “We require everybody’s cooperation to reach our intended goal. Details are as attached. 

Yours sincerely, 

The Smash Team.”

“Ah! The details seem to be here on the b-“

“Do we have to?” Nana interrupted. She now had her chin resting on her palms, so her voice was a little muffled “It’s just that… I like how things are now. We’re free to do our own thing. Climb our own mountain. For ourselves.” She repositioned herself on the chair “Popo, what if they…” 

“They’re not going to separate us again.” Popo addressed the issue which he knew concerned Nana the most. “It says we’ll be at a new venue this time. Things’ll be different.”

Nana frowned as her eyes wondered the room. At the foot of the fireplace, the ice on the tips of their mallets had melted away from the heat, which had left a damp patch on the woollen rug. Nana wanted to believe her partner but failed to.

“But will they?” Nana mumbled. “The Smash Team don’t care about us. Maybe it’s because we’re nobodies. Maybe it’s because to them we’re just two half-grown thugs who crush ice blocks and brutally wack poor innocent creatures with oversized hammers.” 

Popo let out a silent sigh. Nana’s argument did have some merit; to an outside observer, he and Nana had no personality, no backstory. They had only appeared in one insignificant game, over 30 long years ago.

“Look” he began. “Nobody has a choice here. We can’t let the fans down. They want us all back. All of us, regardless of legacy. In Smash, we’re equals.” 

Nana sniffed. Empathetic, Popo lifted his gloved hand to cup it around Nana’s pale cheek. Nana shuddered a little and raised her head. Just yesterday she was all perked up, greeting Popo with nothing but smiles. Did just the thought of Smash really stress her out this much?

“I promise you it’ll be alright. And if it’s not…” The two Ice Climbers met eye to eye. Popo could even make out his reflection glistening in Nana’s eyes. 

“I’ll make it alright.”

Nana nodded subtly. “Thank you” she whispered and lowered her head onto Popo’s to shoulder give him a short yet sweet embrace. “Thank you so much.”

Nana loved that about Popo. No matter how high the mountain, how wide the river, how slippery the slope- she could count on her partner for reassurance. 

Wiping a tear from her eye, she managed a smile. “Yes. We’ll… be fine.” 

Despite the hesitation in her voice, Popo too felt reassured. His mind wandered back to their Melee days, which they considered some of the best days of their lives. Sure- they get to meet some of the biggest stars in gaming history, but what was most memorable was how their relationship blossomed. They enjoyed meals together, perfected their skills together and, most importantly, shared a room together. Smash Ultimate will be like that, right? Popo nodded to himself. 

Yes, yes it will. 

Before he knew it, Nana had her mallet in hand, and was striking some battle poses in front of the fireplace. The harsh light from the flames only dramatised her figure. Grinning, Popo was quick to join in. He swiftly grabbed his mallet from the floor and swung it over his shoulder. They exchanged a high-five and struck some more poses in perfect sync.

With their sudden change in mood, it was as if the Ice Climbers had only then come to the realisation that they would be making a return to Smash. Super Smash Bros. The game that would host the biggest crossover in gaming history. 

“Wow, we’re actually in!” Popo piped

“Hey Popo?” Nana said, playfully swinging her mallet about, almost hitting the walls. It was obvious she was trying to completely distract herself from her earlier apprehension “Do you think we can get away with it?” 

“Uh.” A slight unsettling feeling rose in Popo’s stomach. He lowered his mallet “Get away with what?” he asked cautiously. She can’t mean that, can she? he thought. That certain thing they did- the suspected reason they had been kicked out of Smash 4. Surely not. 

A smile crept up her face. “Y’know. Desyncs!” 

“Desyncs!?” Popo couldn’t help but snort in delight. He was relieved to know she wasn’t considering _that._ “Well, doubt they’ll allow chain grabs, but still, let’s push our limits. The Ice Climbers are back and more chilling than ever.” 

Nana giggled. Was her partner trying to make a joke, a pun? Chilling. “Hehe, yeah” she said, her cheeks all rosy. 

The storm had died down a little outside, so the room was left in complete silence aside from the soft crackling of the fireplace. In those few seconds of silence, their Smash Invitation, which was still on the table, caught the attention of Nana. She lowered her head some more, her eyes now on their woollen rug as anxiety began to well up inside her again. She felt Popo’s hand gently pat her shoulder. 

Nana huffed. “I’m glad we got our invitation. I’m glad they still remember us. I really am, the more I think about it. It’s just that… I can’t shake that worry away.” She gripped onto Popo’s sleeve with one hand while holding loosely onto her mallet with the other “And that worry is what is telling me we shouldn’t do this” she wept.

Another moment of silence. 

“Without you, I… I.” She clung onto her partner’s arm like her life depended on it (and in fact, her life _did_ depend on him.) “Popo, I can’t live without you. Even just for a night. I can’t.” 

She was right. Albeit weaker, Popo could fight independently, whereas she couldn’t. The instant he was down in a battle, her will to carry on completely vanished. Of course, Popo relied on her too for his own strength, and he has admitted he couldn’t achieve even half their feats without her. But that dwarfed the reliance she had in him. 

“I know. I hate it too. But don’t worry, okay?” he replied. 

Popo reached an arm out for their Smash Invitation and turned it over to skim over the details on the back. “Hmm, says we need to arrive at the venue in February. That gives us about a month to prepare. And hey! Look.”

He showed Nana the small photograph attached. It was of a vast field of many terrains. 

“They’re calling it the ‘Smash Estate’. Looks like a big place, right? Surely they’ve prepared something. Maybe even a little cottage for just the two of us!” 

“Mhm” she murmured.

Popo was expecting her to say something more, but her lips didn’t budge. Her lidded eyes were fixed on some random spot on the floor. Popo sighed through his nose before breaking from her hold. 

He loved Nana, loved her with all his heart and soul, and had risked his life countless times for her - but her sudden mood swings could get a little awkward to deal with. His eyes quickly panned the room as he noticed that her mug and plate of cookies were still on the table from earlier. He quickly emptied the plate into a jar and tipped the half-empty mug down the drain. Nana wasn’t going to finish her drink cold.

“Let’s head to bed now. I’ll put on an old movie. Get our minds off it some more.” He signalled towards their bedroom. 

“I’m sorry for being so negative about this.” Nana sniffed, finally breaking her silence. “I know you’re thrilled we made it back in and… I should be too. I promise I won’t give you hell with my negative attitude. I’ll stay positive, just like before.” She gripped her mallet with both hands. A slight hint of hope and determination gleamed in her eyes as she slowly lifted her chin.

“I could trust you when you said you’d catch me from the falling rocks, or when you told me the ice wasn’t too slippery for our shoes. And we made it to the summit, didn’t we? So I trust you now too.”

Popo nodded. He approached Nana from behind and wrapped one arm around her shoulders and the other around her waist. Nana quivered a little as Popo tightened his embrace around her and nuzzled his nose softly into the warm skin of her neck. His actions spoke louder than any words could. 

They had trust, ambition, love and compassion between them, and not a damn thing could ever destroy that special bond. They were a team. After one final embrace, The Ice Climbers headed off to their bedroom arm-in-arm.

**Author's Note:**

> It’d be no lie to say this was difficult to write, and rather time-consuming, but hey I did enjoy writing it. 😊 Lemme know what you think.


End file.
